Superman Unlimited #6 – Dan Slott, Writer; Rafael Albuquerque, Mike Norton, Artists; Marcelo Maiolo, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: The conclusion of Dan Slott’s first arc finds Superman deep within the Kryptonite Kingdom, as the charming President of the small Central American country, President Castilho, has dropped his cheerful exterior and proven to be a self-interested, sinister villain. A tug of war has begun over a Kryptonian sun crystal found in the meteor that hit the country – part of Superman’s legacy, but also a powerful weapon that Castilho wants for his own interests. Last issue saw Kobra infiltrating the kingdom to steal the weapon for themselves – but also saw Lois Lane infiltrate the country to expose Castilho. And with Superman surrounded by Kryptonite, he’s weakening fast – just as Lois is in danger. And that leaves him with no choice but to “Go Gold” and tap into his temporary immunity to Kryptonite to save the day – just as a much bigger threat to the country emerges.
Superman has had elements like this in his comics before, be it the electric Superman era when he wasn’t invulnerable when he was fully human again, or the more recent Solar Flare power that burned out his abilities for 24 hours when used. And after the ninety seconds of “Gold Time” expires, he’s fully vulnerable – so it’s a race against time to rescue Lois, defeat Kobra, and expose Castilho. But before he can get Lois and Ron Troupe out of town, the sun crystal is activated and kicks off a massive scramble to save the city residents. This segment shows Superman at his best – not protected at all, but still working just as hard to save everyone around him. Slott might be new to DC, but he’s showing he gets the character of Superman just as well as Williamson and Waid do. This trio of writers is a big part of why this is becoming a new golden age for the entire Superman line of books.
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